Concrete sleeper and method for regulating the position of rails

ABSTRACT

Concrete sleeper with fixing elements incorporated, insertable or inserted into a sleeper body for fixing rails, wherein the sleeper body of the concrete sleeper ( 1, 18 ) has at least four apertures for fixing elements per rail ( 5 ) to be fixed, the apertures being arranged in pairs to the left and right of the rail support area ( 2 ), the two apertures for fixing elements of one pair being arranged staggered in the longitudinal direction of the concrete sleeper ( 1, 18 ).

The invention relates to a concrete sleeper with fixing elements for fixing rails incorporated, insertable or inserted into a sleeper body.

Fixed carriageways, in particular those for high-speed trains, must be manufactured with a high degree of precision. The track width and the position of the rails are adjusted by aligning the concrete sleepers, and then the aligned concrete sleepers are cast in to produce the fixed carriageway.

In order to compensate tolerances, installation errors or position changes after manufacture, the position of the rails with conventional sleepers can be adjusted in the horizontal direction transverse to the rails with the rail fixing over a range of about 8 mm. However, it has been found that in some cases a larger range of adjustment would be desirable in order to compensate for example track errors due to tolerances of the concrete sleeper arising during manufacture of the fixed carriage way or subsequently. Furthermore, there are fixed carriageways in which horizontal displacements or deformations have to be taken into account due to operation of rail vehicles or changes in position of the subsoil.

From DE 101 28 844 A1, a concrete sleeper is known which can be used for various track widths. In the region of the rail support area, the concrete sleeper has four fixing apertures respectively into which dowels can be screwed. The rail can be mounted at two different positions of the rail support area by means of rail fixings, a spacer being additionally required. Thus, in all, three different track widths can be realised. Since the rail can only be positioned in two different positions, the horizontal adjustability of this concrete sleeper is limited.

A similar concrete sleeper is known from EP 0 377 765 A1. In that concrete sleeper, there are four through-apertures for sleeper bolts. The rail can be positioned above one of the two middle through-apertures, so that two different positions are produced for each rail and therefore three different track widths. Continuous horizontal adjustment is not possible, however.

The object of the invention is therefore to indicate a concrete sleeper which permits improved horizontal adjustment and in which adjustment of the track is possible even subsequently.

To achieve this, in a concrete sleeper of the type mentioned in the introduction, it is provided that the sleeper body of the concrete sleeper has at least four apertures for fixing elements per rail to be fixed, and these elements are arranged in pairs to the left and right of the rail support area, the two apertures for fixing elements of one pair being arranged staggered in the longitudinal direction of the concrete sleeper.

The concept “fixing elements” includes in this case dowels and/or sleeper bolts, in particular for through-bolts, or shoulders incorporated in the concrete sleeper. With these fixing elements, different options are available for fixing the rail to the concrete sleepers.

In the concrete sleeper according to the invention, the horizontal position of the rail can be adjusted virtually continuously over a wide range by selectively screwing each sleeper bolt into a dowel of a dowel pair, in which case one such dowel pair is provided both to the left and right of the rail. Thus, even at the stage of manufacturing the fixed carriageway, improved options are provided for adjusting the horizontal position of the rails and furthermore the horizontal position of the rail can be adjusted subsequently if, over time, horizontal deformations should occur.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, it can be provided that the angle guidance plates disposed to the left and right of the rail have different widths. If a sleeper bolt is offset on one side of the rail, the sleeper bolt must be similarly offset in the rail longitudinal direction on the other side of the rail in order that the distance between the two angle guidance plates remains constant. If this is not possible or not desirable, the altered position of the sleeper bolt can also be compensated by using a different angle guidance plate. Accordingly, the horizontal position of the rail can be adjusted virtually continuously over a wide range by the selection of respectively fitting angle guidance plates.

With the concrete sleeper according to the invention, it can be provided that the angle guidance plates disposed to the left and right of the rail are arranged staggered in the longitudinal direction of the rail. In a construction of this type, the arrangement of the fixing apertures in the concrete sleeper causes fewer problems.

The concrete sleeper according to the invention has the advantage that the track width of the rails fixed to the concrete sleeper, i.e. the distance between the two rail heads measured on the inside, is constant irrespective of the position of the sleeper bolts.

In addition, the invention relates to a method of adjusting the position of rails which are fixed by means of fixing elements incorporated, insertable or inserted into a sleeper body of a concrete sleeper.

In the method according to the invention it is provided that a concrete sleeper with a sleeper body is used which has at least four apertures for fixing elements per rail to be fixed, the apertures being arranged in pairs to the left and right of the rail support area, the two apertures for fixing elements of one pair being arranged staggered in the longitudinal direction of the concrete sleeper.

Preferably, in the method according to the invention, dowels and/or sleeper bolts, in particular for through-bolts, or shoulders incorporated in the concrete sleeper are used as fixing elements.

Since each sleeper bolt can be inserted selectively into one of two dowels, the fixing position of the rail on the concrete sleeper can be adjusted in its longitudinal direction during the manufacture of the fixed carriageway or subsequently.

Within the method according to the invention, it is provided that in order to compensate horizontal changes of position of the rails the sleeper bolts are undone and at least one sleeper bolt is screwed into another dowel. Preferably, both sleeper bolts can be screwed into other dowels.

In order to ensure a constant distance between the two angle guidance plates in the method according to the invention, angle guidance plates of different widths can be used to the left and right of the rail.

If the horizontal rail position needs to be adjusted subsequently, in order to compensate, the sleeper bolts can be undone and at least one sleeper bolt screwed into another dowel. In this connection, it may be advantageous to use angle guidance plates which have a different width from the angle guidance plates originally used.

Further advantages and details of the invention will be explained below with the aid of embodiments and with reference to the drawings, which are schematic representations showing:

FIG. 1 a concrete sleeper according to the invention with assembled rail in a section view;

FIG. 2 a plan view of a concrete sleeper with angle guidance plates;

FIG. 3 a further embodiment of a concrete sleeper with angle guidance plates;

FIG. 4 a further embodiment of a concrete sleeper with angle guidance plates; and

FIG. 5 a further embodiment of a concrete sleeper with angle guidance plates.

FIG. 1 shows a detail of a sleeper body of a concrete sleeper 1 in the region of a rail support area 2. The concrete sleeper 1 comprises altogether two rail support areas 2, which are connected together by a middle portion (not shown). The rail support areas 2 are symmetrical with respect to the centre line of the concrete sleeper 1.

In the embodiment shown, the fixing elements comprise fixing apertures and dowels inserted therein, into which the sleeper bolts are screwed. In the rail support area 2 shown in FIG. 1, four fixing apertures 3 are formed, which are staggered relative to the longitudinal direction of the concrete sleeper 1. A dowel 4 is inserted into each fixing aperture 3. A rail 5 rests on an intermediate plate 6, below which a base plate 7 and a resilient intermediate plate 8 are located. In order to align the rail 5 horizontally, angle guidance plates 9, 10 are used, which have a fundamentally cuboid shape and whose inclined outer face 11 is adapted to the incline of the oblique face 12 of the concrete sleeper 1. Sleeper bolts 13, 14 are screwed into the dowels 4 and press clamping members 15, 16 against the angle guidance plates 9, 10 and the rail foot 17 of the rail 5.

As can be deduced from FIG. 1, the concrete sleeper 1 has four dowels 4 for the rail 5 to be fixed, which dowels are arranged in pairs on the left- and right-hand side respectively of the rail support area 2. The two dowels of one dowel pair are in this case arranged staggered relative to one another respectively in the longitudinal direction of the concrete sleeper 1. In the manufacture of the fixed carriageway, the position of the rail 5 can be adjusted in the horizontal direction, perpendicular to the rail longitudinal direction by inserting the sleeper bolts 13, 14 into one of the two dowels on the left-hand side of the rail support area and into one of the two dowels on the right-hand side of the rail support area 2. The different fixing positions are compensated by correspondingly selected fitting angle guidance plates 9, 10, so that by selecting suitable mutually fitting pairs of angle guidance plates 9, 10, the position of the rail 5 can be adjusted in the horizontal direction. As is shown in FIG. 1, the angle guidance plates 9, 10 used may have different widths. The essential feature is that the gap between the angle guidance plates 9, 10 remains substantially constant and corresponds to the width of the rail foot 17. Thus the position of the rail can in practice be adjusted roughly over a range of 8 to 40 mm, preferably a range of roughly 15 to 30 mm.

With this adjustment option, tolerances arising even at the stage of installation or installation errors can be compensated. Likewise, track errors or other inaccuracies caused by tolerances of the concrete sleeper can be compensated. If over the course of time there is movement of the subsoil or there are changes in position due to the passage of rail vehicles, these can be compensated subsequently. In order to adjust position deviations, the sleeper bolts 13, 14 are undone and one or both sleeper bolts are screwed into another dowel. It may be necessary to replace one or both angle guidance plates. After fixing of the sleeper bolts, the rail 5 is in a laterally offset position.

FIG. 2 shows a detail of a concrete sleeper 18 in a plan view. The fixing apertures 3 with the dowels 19, 20, 21, 22 are arranged staggered relative to one another with respect to the longitudinal direction of the concrete sleeper 18. For fixing a rail, four dowels 19, 20, 21, 22 are provided, which are arranged as the corners of a trapezium on the rail support area 2. To effect fixing, one dowel 19, 20 of the left-hand dowel pair and one dowel 21, 22 of the right-hand dowel pair are used. Accordingly, there are different options for fixing a rail, which are shown in FIGS. 2 to 5.

In FIG. 2, the two lower dowels 19, 21 are used to fix the angle guidance plates 9, 10 by means of sleeper bolts. Since the angle guidance plates 9, 10 have different widths, the rail is fixed off-centre on the rail support area 2.

In the concrete sleeper 18 shown in FIG. 3, correspondingly to the concrete sleeper of FIG. 2, the two lower dowels 19, 21 are used for fixing angle guidance plates 23, 24. However, these angle guidance plates 23, 24 have different widths compared to the angle guidance plates 9, 10 of FIG. 2. Thus a virtually continuous horizontal adjustment of the rail can take place without changing the position of the sleeper bolts.

In the concrete sleeper 18 shown in FIG. 4, the diametrically opposite dowels 19, 22 are used to fix angle guidance plates 25, 26. In the assembled state, the angle guidance plates are staggered relative to one another in the rail longitudinal direction. The length of the angle guidance plates 25, 26 is shorter than that of the angle guidance plates 23, 24.

In the concrete sleeper 18 shown in FIG. 5, correspondingly to the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the dowels 19, 22 are used to fix the angle guidance plates 27, 28. The angle guidance plates 27, 28 are of different widths, so that the rail is offset in the longitudinal direction of the concrete sleeper 18 compared to the arrangement of FIG. 4. The precise adjustment of the rail position takes place by the selection of suitable angle guidance plates 27, 28. The distance between the two respectively opposite angle guidance plates is in this case so selected that it approximately corresponds to the width of the rail foot, 

1. Concrete sleeper with fixing elements for fixing rails incorporated, insertable or inserted into a sleeper body, characterised in that the sleeper body of the concrete sleeper has at least four apertures for fixing elements per rail to be fixed, which apertures are arranged in pairs to the left and right of the rail support area, wherein the two apertures for fixing elements of one pair are arranged staggered in the longitudinal direction of the concrete sleeper.
 2. Concrete sleeper according to claim 1, characterised in that the fixing elements comprise dowels and/or sleeper bolts, in particular for through-bolts, or shoulders incorporated into the concrete sleeper.
 3. Concrete sleeper according to claim 2, characterised in that for fixing the rail a first sleeper bolt is inserted into a dowel disposed to the left of the rail support area and a second sleeper bolt is inserted into a dowel disposed to the right of the rail support area.
 4. Concrete sleeper according to claim 2, characterised in that the angle guidance plates of different widths are disposed to the left and right of the rail.
 5. Concrete sleeper according to claim 4, characterised in that the angle guidance plates disposed to the left and right of the rail are arranged staggered relative to one another in the longitudinal direction of the rail.
 6. Concrete sleeper according to claim 1, characterised in that the track width of the rails fixed to the concrete sleeper is constant irrespective of the position of the fixing elements.
 7. Method of adjusting the position of rails which are fixed by means of fixing elements incorporated, insertable or inserted into a sleeper body of a concrete sleeper, characterised in that a concrete sleeper with a sleeper body is used which has at least four apertures for fixing elements per rail to be fixed, the apertures being arranged in pairs to the left and right of the rail support area, the two apertures for fixing elements of one pair being arranged or being staggered in the longitudinal direction of the concrete sleeper.
 8. Method according to claim 7, characterised in that dowels and/or sleeper screws, in particular for through-bolts, or shoulders in corporate in the concrete sleeper are used as fixing elements.
 9. Method according to claim 8, characterised in that in order to compensate horizontal position changes of the rails, sleeper bolts are undone and at least one sleeper bolt is screwed into another dowel.
 10. Method according to claim 7, characterised in that angle guidance plates of different width are used to the left and right of the concrete sleeper.
 11. Method according to claim 10, characterised in that angle guidance plates are used which have a different width from the angle guidance plates originally used. 